COLUMBIA HEIGHTS EDUCATIONAL CAMPUS PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:CHEC retains #1 ranking among non-select schools (schools with no entrance exam requirements) in DC according to Washington Post’s 2014 School Challenge Index; In overall rankings CHEC is #34 among top performing public schools in the metro area.

Washington, DC, April 8, 2014: The Columbia Heights Educational Campus (CHEC), home to Bell Multicultural High School and Lincoln Multicultural Middle School, is once again one of DC’s most academically challenging institutions according to the Washington Post's annual rankings.

CHEC is #3 overall in the District and #34 in the metro area when compared to other public schools and public charter schools. CHEC has held the position of 34, which is in the top 19% on the index, for the past 3 years. CHEC is ranked 291 out of 2025 of the top high schools nationally, which is in the top 14% of this exclusive grouping of schools. What is even more significant, 85% of CHEC’s students qualify for free and reduced lunch, the highest level of any of the schools in the top 50. The average percentage for the other schools was about 25%, with only two schools other than CHEC above 50%.

Annually, the Washington Post "America's Most Challenging High Schools" ranks schools, locally and nationally, based on the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at a school each year, divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year. A ratio of 1.000 means the school had as many tests as graduates. Of particular importance is the percentage of students who come from families that qualify for lunch subsidies and the percentage of graduates who passed at least one college-level test during their high school career, a score called equity and excellence.

According to Principal Maria Tukeva, "Our Excellence and Equity percentage, which is the percent of graduating seniors who have taken and passed at least one AP course, has risen over the past three years from 23% to 39%! All of this is possible due to the belief, commitment and hard work of our faculty and students."

CHEC’s student body of 1,300 children and youth is the most diverse within the DC Public Schools with 50 countries represented and 24 languages spoken. The mission of CHEC is that all students who graduate will be prepared to succeed in college and as leaders in the quest for social justice. We develop intellectually curious scholars who are articulate communicators in several languages and who are also critical thinkers and consumers, cultural ambassadors, and contributing community members. Our students develop positive habits that build physical and mental health. They demonstrate perseverance, ethics, and character in the pursuit of excellence.